Welcome to the Journal Book Project

January 2014
 
The idea for this journal came from people that I’ve met traveling. Many keep a journal, but I wanted mine to be different and exciting, so that it wouldn’t be a task to write in, but rather one exciting addition after another. Full of sights, quotes, music, books, places, people… I hope this journal serves to express myself, my passion, my love, the places I have been, the places I want to go, and most importantly who I am and where I am here and now.
 
And let it be something that can be shared and passed on amongst friends, family, and strangers alike.

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​I had just returned from a life-changing experience working with sea turtles in Costa Rica and it was time for some soul searching. At that moment in time, I found myself feeling like I was in somebody else’s life and body. I felt a fake, as if I were pretending to be something I was not. My experience had made me feel so genuinely myself that, upon my return, it made me sick to continue pretending I was happy In this other, parallel life.
 
I needed an outlet to transfer my thoughts onto paper and inspect them with a looking glass. The process of making the journal book alone was therapeutic; ripping out pages from my favorite magazines, picking paper and stationary that made me smile, compiling a collage of things that for one reason or another caught my attention.
 
What resulted was my first book, which I titled appropriately “Veritas,” meaning truth. 

​“And so is the theme of this journal, which shall embody all of Life’s truths
​as my journey uncovers them,” I wrote. 

​It was time to face the truth—and what better way to do so than to lay it all out on the table, pick it apart, read it over and over again, and share it openly with others. It was a permanent way of reliving moments and documenting my hopes and dreams. But for this first journal book, I was overwhelmed with the need to suddenly summarize 25 years of my life. Who was I? Where was I from? What was important to me? What defined me? What brought me to this point, here and now? These were the questions I slowly attempted to transfer into my journal book. I started summarizing my life with a timeline, thinking of all the stories that I tell over and over again, the strongest memories I have, the moments that really stick out, the symbols, the songs, and the books that have most influenced me.
 
What I didn’t realize at the time was that this journal book was the start of a project I would continue year after year from there on out. The journal book project ultimately became a tool for self-discovery and manifesting my dreams. These books became a collection of things that spark joy in my life; where even reminders of difficult times reassured me that I was on the right path. And, more surprisingly, the journal books became a source of inspiration.
 
The journal book project has allowed me to document the process of manifesting my dreams, allowing me to flip back through the pages and take note of just how far I’ve come, the dreams that have come true, and the ones that haven’t for the best of reasons. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, and you will see first-hand there are ups and downs. The journal book project documents moments of confusion, despair, and anger equally with moments of elation, excitement, and inspiration.
 
In the end, the journal book project is not about a singular person or their destination in life’s journey. The journal book project is a documentation of the journey itself, representing the development of the self and the manifestation of dreams. Yet, I could never claim the journal books as original work. Instead, they are compilations of everything around me that has influenced me. Because, in the end, we are not alone in this world. We are shaped by our surroundings, and these books are my collection of everything that has shaped me.  
 
With my first journal book “Veritas” I finally learned to be my true self, to trust my gut instincts and let go of how things are “supposed to be.”
 

Flip through the beginning of Journal Book #1: